Cort McCown Movies

Remember when Karen Black used to be in A-list pictures like Nashville and The Great Gatsby? If you're a diehard Black fan, keep those earlier triumphs in mind while watching Auntie Lee's Meat Pies. Borrowing elements from Sweeney Todd and Motel Hell, the film casts Black as a resourceful baking entrepreneur. Just what gives her meat pies that special flavor? With the help of a quartet of former Playboy Playmates, our heroine "collects" handsome young men to feed into the grinder. If the star, title and premise doesn't whet your appetite, consider that Auntie Lee's Meat Pies also stars two comedy icons of yesteryear: Pat Paulsen and Huntz Hall! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Borrowing a chapter from the John Hughes school of teen comedy, this likeable caper was a box office success. Patrick Dempsey stars as Ronald Miller, a high school nerd about to enter his senior year, who longs for acceptance as one of the "cool kids." His next-door neighbor Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson) is a cheerleader and one of the most popular girls in school, but she doesn't even know that Ronald exists. When she ruins an expensive outfit of her mother's, Ronald offers the $1,000 needed to replace it, if she will pretend to date him for one month. Although skeptical about Ronald's plan, Cindy agrees, and her "new boyfriend" turns out to be right about what he thinks dating Cindy will do for him -- he becomes accepted by the school's snobs because of his association with one of their own. At least, for a while. Originally titled "Boy Rents Girl," Can't Buy Me Love (1987) was the first production launched by former studio executive Thom Mount after leaving his high-profile post. His company went on to produce weightier material such as Bull Durham (1988), The Indian Runner (1991), and Natural Born Killers (1994). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi